RTW on a thumper...KTM - LC4 Round the World ADVenturization

[Dracula]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

right back at ya...circa 1998 with TOO much luggage on a 19,000 mile road trip on a V Max of all things

note the high end riding gear we were talking about ...we don't need no stinkin' Goretex

Ha! Am sure that thing went very fast on very straight roads

So what's the prize for guessing ??
My bet is on a Husky, but of course I can be totally off and can't wait to see what it is ..

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

just a few pounds heavier than your sherpa John, more than double the horse power, and when i'm done with it i'll have 31 liters of fuel, and Dave its not a trike or a BMW

How do you get 31L of fuel on a WRR??

Lessee, I'm gonna guess a 4.7 gallon IMS tank plus a coupla Rotopax containers.

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

How do you get 31L of fuel on a WRR??

Could be that 350 KTM with the big Safari tank? (bring parts and $$$$$$)
Australia OutBack will EAT that bike up!

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

Could be that 350 KTM with the big Safari tank? (bring parts and $$$$$$)
Australia OutBack will EAT that bike up!

I'm thinking a 300 lb bike with 28-30 hp, FI + 6 gears and a 10k rpm motor. Water-cooled 4 stroke.

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by Dracula

Ha! Am sure that thing went very fast on very straight roads

police in a little town in WA state got me doing 95 mph in a 25, and i was only in second gear!!! only a $35 ticket...good times

[SS in Vzla.]

As long as we're guessing: DRZ400 ?

I can say Klim saved my skin (and back) from a get off at 120 MPH... It worked pretty decently in the Venezuelan heat and I don't have to stop and put rain gear on when it starts to pour which is basically why I got it in the first place... I like it, but the same as with bikes: ride whatever makes you happy.

Looking forward to your build thread... whatever it is you will be building next

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

I'm thinking a 300 lb bike with 28-30 hp, FI + 6 gears and a 10k rpm motor. Water-cooled 4 stroke.

Yep, and the KTM 350EXC-F covers all that ... and more.
It's about 255 lbs. DRY, 6 speed, over 30 HP. Competes in 450 class, rides like a 250 in the woods.

BUT ... but for a few bucks more you could get the KTM 500 EXC.
Close in weight, 15 more HP, street legal ... top rated bike in the world. Not sure what Safari tanks fit on it ... but I'm guessing one is available ... or will be soon.

[rtwpaul]

so the Yamaha Xt660z is alive and well and taking a well deserved siesta, but i wanted a change (actually once this is complete the XT will go up for sale)

as a RTW rider you kind of learn as you go along, with roughly 200,000 touring miles under my belt, 63,000 in last 22 months you come to conclusion that you will read here and everywhere else, i wish i had a lighter bike. There are a lot of places that i have missed, some i have tried and failed to get to simply because of the weight of the bike, all the guys riding the heavy weights wished for mine, i wished for less.

The reason being; i am heading to New Zealand, then Australia, the Far East, the Stans, Russia, Mongolia and eventually Africa...are you seeing where i'm going with this thought pattern, lots more dirt in my future

the XT660 is the heaviest in its class but very durable too, but once you add luggage, and i am a light packer you still have a lot of weight, not GSA standards but restrictive weight.

so i started looking at other options for when i carry on RTW, i posted on a few forums about what i was looking for, light weight, good power, options to add a very large gas tank, reliability and so on to get some other riders input

the short list came back as:

WR250R
XR650L
DRZ400
DR650
KLR650
570 husaberg
610 husqvarna

now other requirements for a RTW rider is shipping and import, what does this have to do with bike choice? Well a lot actually, obviously weight and the ability to reduce the bike to the smallest size possible and Carnet, the fees can get outrageous in some countries for import, so expensive bikes cost a fortune to bring in to some places - calculate your current bike to see what i mean...Carnet price calculator link

The WR250R was top of the list for a while with the DRZ400 in very close second, but finding a good used one with minimal miles was not happening, and a new one by the time i added everything i needed i would be pushing the $10k mark, why not just keep riding the XT i was asking myself

...then out of the blue some guy makes a comment, have you looked at a KTM 625 SXC, it's everything you are describing, all the other bikes to be made RTW ready would cost more in the long run, the KTM has a good level of components as stock, you can get a 27 liter tank, (you could add a rotopax that will be empty 99.9% of the time to opposite side of the exhaust can, taking it up to 31 liters)

it has minimal electronics, so less to go wrong, no fuel pump, no FI etc, only problem is they only made a few and getting a low mileage one is virtually impossible, and most owner once they buy never sell

so doing web searches on all the above bikes i came across a 625SXC with only 500 miles on it, the owner was having some health issues and never rode it. As its a 2003 the book value is minute (great for the Carnet) and he had done a lot of mods already to save me additional time and money...it weighs about the same as a WR250, double the power, i can get a tank that's 2.5 gallons bigger than the biggest for the WRR

so i pulled the trigger and now i have gone orange and i'm proud owner of a basically new (to me) LC4... in the coming months it will go thru a transformation to be made RTW ready - any comments/ suggestions/ recommendations/ farkle lists would be gladly accepted



after my four mile test ride

[SchizzMan]

OK, you surprised me. Look forward to seeing the transformation esp. WRT seat, lights and windshield.

Do you think it will handle big elevation changes well enough?

[Adv Grifter]

Great choice. I don't know much about the SXC but many KTM Guru's claim this generation of the LC-4 is the most reliable ... more so than the current 690. I had a year 2000 LC-4. I believe the SXC is a different generation motor? Si?

I'm sure you've read up on all the usual KTM foibles ... I guess you have to keep an eye on the water pump, seals et al. I'm sure once she is dialed in it will be a great travel bike. A friends rides an LC-4 Adventure, had issues with the hydraulic clutch. Stranded him for a couple days. Vibey but super fun bike to ride with telepathic front end, inspiring confidence on dirt roads at any speed.

My biggest beef with the LC-4 Dual Sport I had was V I B E S at highway speeds, less noticeable on dirt when standing.
I also tested the SM version and owned a 2001 LC-4 Duke ll. My Duke never had a problem ... but I found it so impractical I sold it off at just 10K miles. A great bike, I regret the sale.

Will be interesting to see what sort of load the sub frame can handle. I'm thinking you will have to pack even lighter. I've seen a few 640's with hard bags ... but not too many ... and not many KTM's with 50,000 + miles.
Looking forward to a build thread.

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

OK, you surprised me. Look forward to seeing the transformation esp. WRT seat, lights and windshield.

Do you think it will handle big elevation changes well enough?

i have some ideas how to do a transformation...just need to get settled first before i get going on that, already been intouch with a few companies for product information

as for elevation,as there is such an enormous knowledge base on here for the LC4, i will tap into that and get recommendations from various parts of the world and see what the consensus of opinion is, but i'm thinking of jetting it for about 2500-4000 feet so re-jetting when riding will be minimal and reduction of power and hesitation will be reduced in most cases

[daveburton]

Looks like a great buy Paul and with a relatively low book price. Incredible to find such a low mileage bike. Look forward to seeing the transformation.

cheers dave

[davesupreme]

very sweet bike!.... can't see the carb, but i don't think those have FCR's on them stock?.... put on a 41mm, they're really easy to work on, you can re-jet in about 10 minutes, twist the carb, and the jets are on the bottom, needle on the top, no problemo.... it makes it really easy to mess around and hit the sweet spot...... i personally am of the opinion that 'fat is where it's at', so... all the reports of the FI/fuel pump problems on the new ones, i dunno why anybody even wants it when the FCR's are so easy.... gravity is hard to beat.... damn, that's a nice bike....

[gunnerbuck]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

i have some ideas how to do a transformation...just need to get settled first before i get going on that, already been intouch with a few companies for product information

as for elevation,as there is such an enormous knowledge base on here for the LC4, i will tap into that and get recommendations from various parts of the world and see what the consensus of opinion is, but i'm thinking of jetting it for about 2500-4000 feet so re-jetting when riding will be minimal and reduction of power and hesitation will be reduced in most cases

The 625/640 with the stock BST handles elevation changes quite well, I'm jetted at sea level and I don't lose much up over 7000'... Your plan to jet a little leaner should cover most of the elevation roads you'll run into.... The good thing is that you can change the main jet in less than five minutes through the bowl plug without carb removal ... The same goes for the needle positions, remove the tank and 2 phillips screws holding the carb cap and out comes the slide... A 45 pilot jet usually never needs to be changed and a fingertip adjustable mix screw can be picked up through Loadedagain.. The FCR is a great carb for racing and technical trails, but for travel the BST has the Advantage of better fuel economy, less jerky throttle action and is much less finicky about elevation changes..

The 625 has the same frame/subframe as the 640 Adventure so it is plenty strong... To add even more strength you could mount a set of HB racks or add a strut that runs from the passenger peg mounting holes up to the luggage tail rack bolts... I look forward to seeing the mods you come up with...

[rtwpaul]

i've started an ADVenturization thread here in thumpers anymore ideas/ thoughts mods etc. please add on that thread, so it can be debated hopefully by the masses and i then will have all my new information in one place